SAINT
by Doll Maker of Burcaresti
Summary: Miko Toyosatomimi is an upcoming warrior in an unforgiving world. Her dream to attend one of the most famous academies in the world has come true after she completes an act of valor, and she's bringing her four most trusted friends with her. However, she meets some unexpected company at her new school, and learns to work as a team and not as a lone huntress.
1. Spirit of Avarice, Part 1

The sun set behind the mountains as night rushed in from the east. A unusually bright moon began to shine in a distant corner of the sky, reflecting its light upon the stars that twinkled in the black expanse. Lamps on the streets of Avarice, far below, began to flare up, providing a warm source of light for the people walking by.

However bright these lamps were, they could not keep the dangers of the night at bay as evil lurked in the dark shadows of the surrounding forests. Guards took their position around the city. Their only duty was to keep the humans and youkai alike safe from the night.

As citizens began filing into their homes, one girl still walked the streets in a state of blissful unawareness, her eyes half closed as she quietly hummed to a song streaming through her headphones. She was always around to see the sunrise in the morning, and the sunset in the evening. If she would encounter danger, she could protect herself anyways, so there was not much to panic about. She was one of the few residents of the city who normally had her weapon with her, being an upcoming warrior in a world of danger.

Yet her home was not a town for warriors. Avarice was a center of trade, socialization, and tourism. To get some true training in, she would have to attend a prestigious academy designed to train warriors.

Distracted in her thoughts, she barely noticed a small mob of black-clothed people rushing along the alleyways. She may have dismissed them completely if it were not a little voice in her ear, barely audible, yet it drowned out the sound of her music.

..._they won't see this coming... _

Miko Toyosatomimi flinched quite visibly. People dressed in black, sneaking around at the witching hour, with a desire to steal… something. Her battle-hardened mind began grinding away, and she began to nonchalantly follow them from behind, switching off her music. As disappointed as she was to hear the voice of Mai Kotoge fall silent, music was not a good idea for this operation.

She quickly crossed to the other side of the street, reaching for the weapon at her side. The Seven Star Sword was in its sheath as always, ready for battle. Drawing the sword here would get their attention, but she did not know if their intentions were bad or good, and if they were good they'd certainly call her out on it, which would be extremely embarrassing.

She carefully advanced behind them. Her chest heaved as she quickly ducked into the shadows like them. This was no good, she decided, glancing up at the brick walls of the building by her side. A fire escape reached from the ground to the top of the building. This was the first house in a connected row of houses - a perfect spot to follow them quite a-ways.

A few moments later, Miko heaved herself onto the roof, a little winded. Escalating surfaces was not a factor she was skilled in, even with stairs - Seiga, on the other hand, was uncontainable, possessing an uncanny ability to not only find her way around any wall, but outright pass through them. This snooping mission would be much easier with the blue haired beauty on hand, but home was out of the question now.

As she observed them from the roof, she began to notice some peculiar traits they shared. They never moved at a steady pace, darting in between the shadows and alleyways instead. Now that she was much closer, she could hear their desires audibly.

_Scientists celebrate a discovery of new danmaku… We'll get attention with a heist like this… We must follow the master's orders…_

A young girl led the black-clad party. Unlike the others, dressed in crisp suits and fedoras, she wore a pretty and frilly black lace dress with a neckline so low, it dangerously teetered on her shoulders. Flower decorations adorned her curly black hair on both sides. She indicated for her group to follow her along the streets.

Miko paused for a second. It was clear that if these people were just acting suspiciously with no ill intent, she would get chewed out by her parents. But if she could stop a crime in progress, she might get a reward.

Like an acceptance into a certain academy.

* * *

One rooftop run and a very dangerous jump later, Miko stood back on the street and brushed her skirt off. Her attire was casual today, a simple grey wool jacket, purple miniskirt, leggings. Boots and socks kept her feet warm. Of course, the Seven Star Sword was a little out of place, as well as her Shaku, concealed under her coat, but there was no way she'd leave them at home.

The black-clad thieves? stood inside a clean white building. A signboard outside proudly stated **Avarice Danmaku and Energy Research Center, **with a second message underneath stating: '8:00 GAT 'Space Danmaku' Discussion'.

Miko's face fell. The girl in the black lace dress reached the counter and asked the receptionist, a tall man with a red beard and sharp green eyes a question. Then, after a long pause, she reached for the fedora that covered her head, and the suit clad party followed suit.

White rabbit ears fell to the sides of their heads. The unveiled rabbit youkai in the black dress smiled as she said something else and took a pistol out of her fedora. With a calm, swift movement, she brought the pistol to a rest, with the end of the gun on the receptionist's skull.

_T-the Rabbit Horn League?_

Miko's fingers grew numb around her sword. The Rabbit Horn League was a notorious group of youkai who strived for a rabbit utopia. Word had it that they actually worked for a higher power, but they seemed to be too arbitrary to even perform in unison, much less take orders.

_And if I stop them here..._

Miko unsheathed her sword. The Seven Star Sword shone with the light of the sun, and it was a beauty of a weapon and extraordinarily useful in combat. The sword had a power of its own, it seemed, that brought justice down on anyone out of line.

The receptionist caught the brilliant flash of metal and desperately looked out of the corner of his eye, wordlessly calling for salvation. Unfortunately, Black Lace noticed as well, and heavily sighed as she nodded at her accomplices, who all came rushing at her at once - four of them.

Miko's hard-working mind quickly began formulating a plan as she readied her sword. Killing them would be the easiest option, but the blood of others on her hands would have serious consequences. Disarmament and then knocking them out was the more difficult option, but she wouldn't be pinned with causing the death of someone later.

_Very well._

The first lackey came at her as he pulled a pure black magnum pistol from a holster- a standard, non-danmaku kind of gun. This one charged into battle with confident and reckless abandon, but it would be his undoing.

Miko sidestepped the man as she blew past him, jabbing with her sword and following through. The metal slid in between his hand and the gun, and as he looked at her in shock, she returned with a cold stare. In a split second she gave a quick twist to disarm him and thrusted with more force to send him crashing to earth painfully. The youkai rabbit screeched in pain as his hand went between his legs. One down.

The saint beckoned the others with her free hand as she unstuck her sword from the man's grip, her tone calm and confident, betraying her true feelings of excitement and vigor. "I have the power to hear desires. I know your every secret, youkai - the past, present, and future. Your loyalty does not even compare to the cold traitor's blood that runs through your veins! So will you fight or flee, cowards?"

The other three cocked their guns. Her true intent was to get them worked up, and it seemed to be going fairly well. Adrenalin made her heart race and her muscles burn with energy. She brought the sword to her side and shifted on her back leg, preparing to strike as they squeezed the trigger. The blast rang in her ears, and for a moment, she could see molted red bullets flying point-blank at her face.

_Divine Light "Honour the Avoidance of Defiance"_

Miko lunged with impossible speed, her sword ripping through the air in a wide arc as she slid onto the pavement of the sidewalk with a three-point landing, her body unmoving. The real harm in this particular technique was not the strike itself, but what followed afterwards.

Three voices grunted in pain simultaneously as colorful amulets and beams of light flew through the air, blasting them backwards. They collapsed on the ground in an unconscious daze.

Black Lace paused with her mouth slightly agape for a moment. She released the receptionist, who quickly fled into the building. A graceful step accompied her outside as she raised her eyebrows in surprise and began to speak.

"And in this miserable world, never have I seen so young and so formadible a warrior. You are quite unlike the others."

Miko would have been flattered with this compliment, and she did indeed blush red, but the desires of Black Lace were quite different from her quiet, calm words. Her eyes betrayed her complimentary pose - they were pure red eyes, filled with anger and treachery and bitterness. They seemed to bore into Miko's being itself, as if she were the one reading desires instead.

"Who is this I have the honour of meeting?"

Miko examined the shining blade of the Seven Star Sword. It was slightly bloodstained after her bout with the lackeys, but it was quite ready for battle if that was nescessary. And a battle would certainly be nescessary.

"Miko Toyosatomimi, of Avarice. And I am a warrior of this city, a guardian, a protector, and you have disrupted the peace. Leave now, or you shall meet the same fate as your comrades."

Black Lace paused for a moment's notice. Her pistol was still at hand, ready to kill. This mysterious girl - Miko of Avarice - was quite an impressive warrior, but a bit of hot metal in the right place would put her in her rightful place, preferably in hell.

"Tewi Inaba, of Retribution. And I am the avenger of those ignored, shunned, and mocked - the youkai of the world bow unto me, for I am their saivor."

Quick as a flash, Tewi lined up the barrel with the girl's head and squeezed the trigger, but Miko was prepared for it. She slid to the right, avoiding the bullet and brought her sword out in an arc, aimed for the youkai rabbit girl.

Tewi blocked the steel blade with the barrel of her gun. The two stood in stalemate for a moment, trying to overpower each other. Sirens wailed quite closely.

"I control luck! It is suicide to fight me, you fool of a saint!"

"A fool's a fool, for all they're worth, but a saint like me fights for the greater good, a saint who listens to the pleas of others!"

Miko pulled the weight of her sword downwards, surprising the youkai rabbit. Quickly thinking, Tewi released her gun and kicked Miko in the stomach, bringing her down to the ground. She kneed the saint as her pistol jammed up into her skull.

"Die, you prideful-!"

A shot went by Tewi's head. She glanced back quickly and saw police cruisers parked nearby and a female redhead officer quickly approaching with a gun in hand.

Tewi swore loudly as she quickly rose up and dashed for the building. She effortlessly leapt up onto the roof and dissappered into the night. Everyone watched her vanish into the shadows as the moon rose over the city, daunting and powerful, as though to recognize the battle that was won and lost.

* * *

"A very skilled candidate, if you ask me."

The headmistress reached for her tea and thoughtfully sipped it as she reviewed the footage again. Her assistant sat across from her, motionless.

"Indeed, Lady. We've been keeping an eye out on her and a few others, and they've all performed considerably brave acts of valor in the past few months. They'll be fine warriors."

"She's gotten herself into quite a mess, though."

The headmistress playfully smiled at her assistant, waiting for a response. Toyosatomimi had done the right thing, and was about to pay a wrongful price. A few words and a little bit of godmodding should rescue the poor girl.

"Yes, Lady. The situation is perilous. The police will need some clarification, and she and the other four will need those invitations. They'll be leaving tommorow eve."

"I see. Fetch me my coat, if you will, and I shall be on my way."

"And what will be your mode of transportation tonight, milady?"

"I'll be taking the express train."


	2. Spirit of Avarice, Part 2

_And Seiga said it wasn't too hard when she was interrogated..._

Miko shifted in her seat as she warily eyed the officer taking notes across the table. The room was fridgid and bare - nothing but a small window, a painting of a dark forest hung on the wall, and the desk that sat between her and the policeman, who was currently looking through her records.

"You have a... surprisingly clean record, miss Toyosatomimi."

"A combat school wouldn't accept a criminal, would they?"

Miko laughed a little, trying to warm up the room with some humor. The officer still sat stone-cold across from her. He may have been made from stone after all - Miko wasn't getting at him. She sensed no desires at all, or maybe he was just blocking her.

"What I'm saying is... we'll, I've been training in combat since I was little. I've been wanting to attend Phantasm, you see, but I couldn't make it this year - we couldn't scrape in enough money for all five of us, my sisters, to go."

The officer scratched down some more words on his notepad. The metal nib on paper emitted a scratching noise that made Miko cringe. She tried her best to ignore it as the officer continued to interrogate her.

"Well, it seems from what I've taken, you have a clean record and your weapon isn't customized and possibly dangerous to humans. However, you also recklessly charged into battle, knowing fully well that you could have contacted the proper authorities. We've already called your parents and informed them of the situation, so I would take this opportunity-"

Someone knocked on the door, making Miko flinch. Seemingly angry, the officer sighed and rose up from his chair as the saint watched him exit the room. A quiet conversation began outside for a few moments as Miko impatiently waited. She was just about to rise and check outside when the officer, now very pale-faced, entered the room with a different person.

This woman had long blond hair done up and covered by a mob cap, deep gold eyes that looked around the world with curiosity, and a rather fancy violet dress. She carried a parasol in one white-gloved hand and the other held a small fan. She smiled down at Miko as the officer hastily left the room.

Miko had seen this woman's face everywhere in her life - on television, in the newspapers, on posters. She knew instantly that this was the headmistress of Phantasm Academy, Yukari Yakumo.

Yukari seated herself where the now gone officer had sat, and set down her parasol next to her as she beckoned nothing with her other hand. A black line drew itself across thin air and ripped open into a purple void filled with malevolent red eyes. The gap spit out a folder, a steaming teapot, and two ceramic cups, which clattered on the table.

Miko watched, slightly agape. She had heard of the headmistress's ability to manipulate boundaries and the almost endless skill that she possessed using it, but this was her first time seeing it in action. Her own ability to hear desires, one which she held in high regard, was belittled greatly by this. She was truly astonished.

"Tea, anyone?"

Miko shook herself back into reality and waited as Yukari poured two cups of tea and handed one to the huntress. She sipped it and found it to be strangely cool to the taste and sweet.

"T-thank you..."

The huntress was almost forgetting her manners. She set down the cup and waited for Yukari to speak as the ambiguous headmistress opened the folder and flipped through its contents. She finally removed five sheets of paper, on which Miko could see her name and her sister's names. Curiosity nagged her. She stared meaningfully at Yukari, trying to see her desires, but just as she felt that she was about to get at her she was pushed away. Yukari almost seemed to be playing with her as Miko's face grew red from strain before she gave up and slumped a little in her chair.

"I have observed all of your actions. You see, Miko, over this past summer you and your sisters have completed the nesscessary acts of valor required for entry into Phantasm, and since it's not listed in the requirements, it makes my school painfully difficult to enter."

"But why would it not be listed on the requirements?"

Yukari took another moment to sip her tea. She thoughtfully stared out the little window as the wind blew fallen tree leaves around the street. Those deep gold eyes held more knowledge than anyone she had ever seen, Miko decided. Adrenalin began to make her heart beat faster, even though she was not anywhere near a battle. The woman's presence herself was making her nervous. Just who was this woman, Miko though, just who was this ambiguous headmaster of this great academy, anyways?

"Because anyone with a truly noble and good heart would not need to be told to help. And I feel that you and your sisters are certainly noble and kind people."

Yukari's voice was quiet as she handed the papers to Miko. As the saint looked over the words, tears of happiness began streaming out of her eyes as she carefully flipped through each page. She finally looked up at Yukari, who smiled again.

"I also feel that all of you deserve a place in Phantasm Academy this year."

* * *

"The gods smile upon you today, Miko Toyosatomimi! I feel very pleasant knowing that we will enter the academy together, and conquer the world!"

"I don't think that's what we're going to do, but I'm glad I'm going with you, Futo."

Miko smiled at her sister - well, adoptive sister, Miko was technically an only child, Futo Mononobe. A zany grin and cheery dark grey eyes sat on her round face, with grey hair framing it and tied in a ponytail at the back. Futo never wore pajamas, she had always been a casual person. The train rocked back and forth as the girls, with their luggage packed and stored in the cabinets above them, chatted away to drive off the nervousness.

"That was great, Miko, it really was. You totally kicked ass tonight. Rabbit Horn League? You were like, 'Fuck yea, I'm Miko Toyosatomimi, I don't take shit from no-one. I am here to kick ass and chew gum, and I'm all out of gum', and then you just whooped their sorry asses like it was nothing."

Tojiko Soga was as coarse as ever with her language, but other than that, she was still a lovable character. Dark green eyes and light green hair to match it accompanied her, and, unlike her cousin, she had something resembling pajamas - a _Primordial Beats _band T-shirt that was too big for her and basketball shorts. Her weapon, the 'Iruka's Thunder', a bow and several arrows powered by lightning danmaku complimented her temperamental and coarse personality wonderfully, but like everyone else, her weapon was stored in luggage.

Seiga had managed to sleep in this madness - she was curled up on one of the train benches with a light blue blanket thrown over her body. She snored lightly, and, as always, had always forgotten to remove her hair stick from her blue hair. Nobody tried to wake her up as she slept.

Yoshika, on the other hand, was wide awake as always. She had a pale complexion and grayish-blue hair with matching eyes. She always wore her blue hat to cover most of her head, but her clothes were the same as always, a red shirt with decorative flower patters, and a black skirt with belts of ammunition running across. She constantly ate to make up for that lack of sleep and was currently stuffing her face with a sandwich. Everybody left her to her own devices at the moment as she ate like it was her last meal.

Miko was still extremely nervous. Her parents, or rather, Seiga's parents, had been overjoyed and had seen them off as soon as possible. "Better that you get there sooner to know what you're going to do." Ms. Kaku, her mother, had told her. Other students had boarded the train as well, but they stayed in separate compartments.

Unlike the police station, the cabin was warm and cozy. A large glass window revealed the stark night sky, complete with the stars and the unusually bright moon that Miko fought under as the train rumbled on. The cabin's walls were a calming shade of green, and the floor's carpet was soft under their bare feet. Blankets and pillows were thrown in some corners for the girls to sleep on the ride - it was quite a long way to reach Phantasm by train, and would take the entire night and part of the next morning.

"I am quite excited for the upcoming events that we shall partake in tomorrow! Perchance that we shall even take initiation as well..."

"Uh... Initiation for first-years is the day after tomorrow, Futo. You can't start burning things just yet..."

"Aw..."

Futo slumped a little bit. Miko often worried about her pyromaniac tendencies, but they were often used for the better at fighting kyoukai, which were defeated easily with a little fire, making Futo a valuable member of Miko's team. One always had to be on guard around the girl, though, unless they wanted to get a few third-degree burns.

"We can't go the academy if you burn down the entire fucking place, you know."

Tojiko laughed. Tojiko's humor was a rare part of her personality that not very many people saw- instead, they would see her anger accompanied with literal thunder and lightning, as the girl's ability was manipulating exactly that. Futo's ability of manipulating feng shui was a nice foil to Tojiko's.

"A-anyways... let's get some sleep, guys. Big day tomorrow."

Miko's stomach felt like it was full of butterflies as she took her blanket and pillow and stretched out on the train bench. Futo turned off all the lights, only leaving a small flashlight for Yoshika to read a book with. The huntress stared at the little light casting ominous shadows across the perpetually awake girl's face as she stood extremely still, her eyes and arms only moving as they read through the text and flipped pages.

_Is my sword's light as bright as that, against a true ayakashi...?_

The saint had a hard time falling asleep that night.


	3. Youkai Back Shrine Road, Part 1

Miko didn't even know where to start.

The train, loaded with students headed for Phantasm, had pulled up into the station of Charming at the crack of dawn, about 6:00 AM. The second train headed for Phantasm, which pulled out at 10:00, was much too long a wait for the five girls to manage, along with the fact that they had not eaten for several hours. Yoshika had been reduced to a hungry wolf by this point, so Miko planned to eat breakfast and then explore the town, meeting back at the station at 9:30 to take the last train to Phantasm.

If she was presented with a choice, however, Miko might have never left. The town of Charming itself was practically eye-candy. Shops with colorful awnings and delicate stained glass windows lined the streets, while red and yellow lanterns hung across the lampposts to signify the season of fall. The smell of frying bacon and melting butter wafted in the air as chefs prepared for the day's work. Far in the center of the whole city, a bronze statue of a fox of wisdom stood proud atop a tall fountain, which a large, Victorian-style mansion loomed.

"That's where the headmistress lives when she's not at Phantasm." Seiga noted as she pointed at the far away mansion. "Usually the house is empty, but when she's there it's attended by an army of maids and butlers. A lifestyle like that~ would be divine~."

"I thought that you were the kind of person who liked a quiet place to live." Miko pointed out, slightly confused.

"Well... I suppose..."

The blue-haired beauty had chosen to wear a robin's egg blue dress and her usual white-and-navy vest. She appeared defenseless, but Miko knew that her vest was lined with possibly hundreds of throwing knives, combat-ready. She sometimes disliked travelling with the girl because Seiga seemed to impulsively try to look her best and, frankly, always succeeded. She was a dangerous person for boys to be around, and managed to attract attention to herself everywhere she went.

"If I don't eat soon I'm going to fall on the ground like a rabid dog and start biting at passerbys." Tojiko weakly stated. She had changed into her normal hunter's gear, green jacket and shorts with bandages wrapped around her weak legs and brown shoes and her bow and quiver strapped to her back. Tojiko had broken her legs as a young child when a large vase fell on her and could barely walk before she started using bandages. Even with the bandages, running was still a chore and she had chosen to train in a form of combat that would not require her to duck and dodge.

Futo was supporting the starved huntress with one arm and looked rather hungry herself. Yoshika could barely stand as well, and Seiga caught her arm before she toppled over.

Miko quickly picked the nearest restaurant, a brick buiding with a pink awning and a sign loudly proclaiming 'MYSTIA'S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BREAKFAST AND LUNCH." A lone waitress wiped down the tables inside and the smell of food lingered inside.

The five girls stepped inside and hungrily waited for Miko to pay the girl at the cash register, a daft-looking green haired girl in a blue apron. She presented them with their plates and watched, amused, as they practically attacked the buffet.

The team reconciled at a large table at the end of the room, where they began to eat and talk about their plans for the day. Miko had selected pancakes, a side of scrambled eggs, and some tea, which was quickly annihilated in starvation.

"Who's doing what for the three hours we have?"

Miko leaned forward in her seat, waiting for her team's answers. Tojiko and Futo looked at each other uncertainly, but Seiga covered them.

"I'm thinking about buying some new clothing and uniforms. There's a reason why I asked you for all of your clothing sizes before we left, you know~."

"We have fucking uniforms?" Tojiko shrieked a little. "Oh god, if they're lewd I am hauling my ass out of here and hiding in the forest."

"Relax, Toji." Seiga coaxed. "They're very standard, white dress shirts and blue skirts, shorts or pants, and black shoes. The skirt and shorts are required to be below the knee, so don't fret."

Yoshika, who looked much better after eating an entire stack of pancakes and downing about three mugs of coffee, said "I heard there's a library somewhere in town containing several rare works of poetry that I'd like to look into."

Futo nodded as she drank some of Miko's tea, which the nervous saint could not finish. Futo was wearing her typical white fireproof jacket and blue pants, with matching boots. Futo had to be wary of her own weapons and pyromaniac tendecies and dressed like she was about to plunge into a burning house. "Perhaps I shall go along with Yoshika to this great center of knowledge. Who knows what rare works of liteature we shall encounter?"

Tojiko shrugged her shoulders. "Meh, I saw some ad in the train station for this weapon shop that has some seriously cool shit. Might as well hop down there and maybe get some more danmaku for Iruka."

Miko relaxed in her chair, sighing as she glanced at everyone's empty plates. "Meeting adjourned?"

"Aye."

* * *

_Really, _Yoshika thought as she turned another page in the book of poems, _everyone just needs a break sometimes_. Seiga might have been her sister, but she was a burden at times like all siblings were. She had come straight here after her hearty breakfast and began burying herself in books, while Futo had chosen to follow Tojiko instead. She would have never left if it were not for her time limit.

The room glowed like a kaleidoscope as the sun bore through the colorful stained glass windows. It was a warm and booky place, with mahogany panels subtly darkening the area and bookshelves reaching high up to the ceiling, which bore a beautiful carving on the large ceiling panel. A lone, redheaded assistant dusted off some bookshelves in the corners. Couches, bookshelves, and a great marble table in the very center of the small bookstore section of Charming's library topped off the already well furnished room. Yoshika herself sat at the table with a stack of books to her right as she flipped the pages of her poetry book.

"_I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings..._"

Yoshika muttered the poem to herself as she read through it. It was a beautiful masterpiece, but the poem had mysterious origins that nobody quite knew. Perhaps it was anonymous work - the original paper's signature was blotted out. It was something, certainly, not of this world. It reminded Yoshika of the recent wars between humankind and youkai - a war that ended in bloodshed, neither side truly winning. Youkai opression had continued to this day.

"The caged bird sings with a fearful trill, of things unknown but longed for still, and his tune is heard on the distant hill, for the caged bird sings of freedom. "

Yoshika was not expecting someone to echo her whisperings. She flinched and looked up sharply at a green-haired girl with fluffy brown ears that looked like they belonged on a dog who was standing in the entryway of the sitting area in the bookstore. The youkai smiled down at the huntress with a goofy grin.

"Good morning!" She exclaimed.

"Good morning." Yoshika replied, still a little surprised.

"Good morning! You always gotta give a proper greeting!" The girl echoed back.

Yoshika could have sworn she knew what kind of youkai this was. Youkai were split into different classes, and many different variations, such as simple fairies, to more complex beings like kitsune, or perhaps the widely-feared satori, a mind reading youkai. Some looked more like youkai, such as Satori, with the exception of their third eye, while others resembled and emulated humans perfectly. It could be impossible to tell whether someone was human or youkai soft brown ears of the girl and the echoing replies made the poet recall something vaguely lingering in the back of her mind, a word on the tip of her tongue...

_Ah. I see._

Yoshika put away the book of poetry, setting it on the stack of books and stood up, scooping up the pile of liteature and holding onto it as best as she could. The old armchair creaked when she pushed it back into the table and began to walk towards the green haired girl, who uncertainly lingered in the doorway.

"You're a new face around here. Are you going to Phantasm?" The girl asked. She wore a white dress with a pink coat, and a green megaphone was clipped to the black belt she wore. Her mint green eyes sparkled with excitement. An adorable teal flower clip held back her messy hair, enabling the girl to see properly without her hair hanging in her face. She seemed completely disinterested in the books, focused on her conversation instead.

"Why, yes I am..."

"Why, yes I am... Cool! Maybe we can, like, ride the train to Phantasm together! You see, I'm going too and I haven't gotten my team yet so maybe we might team up together unless, like, you already have a group of five or something! I'm supposed to be with Mami and Nue but they're out buying uniforms or something and my cell phone battery is dead so I can't text them but I'm gonna go the train station and find them there but it's a little scary and I can't find anyone so could you go with me please?"

Yoshika paused, trying to make sense of what had just spilled out of the over-hyperactive youkai's mouth. A slight feeling of dread began welling up in her chest as she slowly realized how long she had been in the bookstore."The train?"

"The train? Yea, it's pulling out of here in, like, less than an hour! Don't you have a watch? I mean, I have one on my phone but like I said it's dead so yea!

Yoshika looked at the clock. It indeed said 9:20, ten minutes until she needed to get to the train station. Yoshika had planned to leave at 9:00 to get there in time.

_Oh, damnit! I've been reading for three hours!_

Yoshika quickly gathered all of her books and brought them to the counter, where a bored-looking purple-haired woman scanned them for her and waved off the girl as Yoshika payed her. The poet ran as fast as she could to the train station, praying that she wouldn't trip and spill her armload everywhere and further delay herself.

Far behind her, a yamabiko dashed out onto the steps and tried to catch up with Yoshika. She was nearly tripping over herself as she dashed across the street, looking for the clock that hung above the train station and calling for her newfound friend.

"Wait for me, me, me... I never learned your name!"


	4. Youkai Back Shrine Road, Part 2

"Futo?"

Tojiko called out into the morning air, lost in Charming. She sighed when she only heard the faint echo of her own voice, reflecting back from alleyways. She ducked out of the alley and stumbled into the street.

The sunlight couldn't have been more harsh as it hit her right in the eyes. Tojiko would have conjured up a thunderstorm to block out the light right away if it were not for the other things that grasped her attention. It was obvious that she'd taken an abnormal route into this side of town - she seemed to be in a less well-cared for area. Leaves clogged the storm drains on the street, many brick buildings were spray painted in colorful tones with much more colorful words stenciled on them, and a few people sat in a nearby alleyway... doing... Tojiko didn't want to know what was in the pipe one just lit. She quickly skipped by them and tried to find her bearings.

There was certainly a clamour going on. Up ahead, a crowd of people blocked the street, crowding around two figures that sparred each other. The archer could barely make out a purple/brown haired girl dodging the spear strike of a blond girl with black streaks mixed in. A rainbow colored scroll with sutras written on it circled around a gold-colored staff as she ducked between the spear jabs with impossible speed. Tojiko would have done a spit-take if she was drinking anything.

"Damn, is that-"

The huntress wasted no time running as fast as her weak legs would let her. She nearly tripped over herself as she grabbed the side of a brick wall to stop her from crashing into the pavement. She looked up at the fighting girls as the crowd surged past her.

"Byakuren Hijiri..."

Indeed, the gradient-haired girl was the same person who had so fiercely competed with Miko at the Avarice Academy before mysteriously dissappering. She had gained complete mastery of her ability to use magic, it seemed, over the years she was gone. It seemed that she had opted for a new outfit, a white dress with a black coat that was bound by black and white ribbons. She fought with such grace and agility, dodging and ducking between spear strikes, that Tojiko couldn't hope to match, but she would not strike her opponent, the girl with the pagoda and spear.

Speaking of which, Tojiko turned to look at the other fighter. Tall and strong, this girl was not nearly as fast as Byakuren, and kept the magician at bay with a sharp, jewelled spear and a shining pagoda that rested on her left palm. Her clothes were ones Tojiko had never seen the likes of, brown and white with elaborate gold-colored armor shielding her. She was calm and composed as she analyzed Byakuren's movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The two stood at a standstill as the audience went silent.

And, as quick as a tiger, the girl thrust her spear forward at Byakuren...

And stopped half an inch from her chest. The sharp spear tip was close enough that a few more inches would have gutted the magician. However, Byakuren smiled calmly, as though nothing was to be concerned, and the other girl backed down and bowed.

The audience seemed unsatisfied, grumbling and complaining. The other two girls sweated nervously and waved them off as they seemingly prepared to leave.

Suddenly,Tojiko found herself being shoved forward, pushed past the audience and into the ring that they had formed around the two girls. She stumbled and fell on her knees, the arrows in her quiver clattering. Cheers erupted from the crowd again, with the knowledge that another battle would take place for their enertainment, and the other girl and Byakuren looked at each other with a knowing glance.

"What the fuck?" Tojiko yelled at the boy, a small, brown haired and blue eyed human, who had pushed her in, but he had vanished already. Byakuren stepped into the crowd, her scroll rolling back up and falling back into her hands as two blue rods, as the other girl with the jewelled spear advanced.

"Don't be too hard on her, Shou."

Byakuren's voice sounded nearly identical after all of these years. She was just a bit wiser, older, and definitely better with her ability. She smiled at the girl with the tiger hair.

Tojiko got to her feet, unstrapping her bow from her back. Anger boiled inside her. Her heart beat faster as she and her opponent stood still, waiting for the other to strike. A complete silence overtook the two, the confident tiger cooly waiting for a single twitch, a sudden movement, an unpredicted attack. Tojiko took a deep breath before setting her mind on one thing. With concentration, her hands began sparkling with small pops of electricity. Shou braced herself for the incoming storm, with the earth slightly shaking at her own feet. Glittering stones simply erupted from the ground around the huntress, catching Tojiko's eye, but she had to force herself to focus.

_This is what... I was born to do._

The audience murmured as the sky darkened above them. Gray clouds formed from nothingness, blocking out the sunlight. Soon, a good mile radius had been made overcast, blotting out the sparkling blue sky. Shou looked wearily at the huntress before raising her jewelled pagoda, producing a blinding light.

Tojiko averted her eyes, snatching a blunt arrow out of her quiver and drawing back her bow. Iruka sparked with electricity, the bow humming with power. The storm above the two became darker.

"Fire."

The arrow ripped through the air with an electric discharge. Shou barely grazed the arrow as it curved under her arm and shot through the air until it hit the side of a building and ricocheted back into the crowd. Luckily, everyone moved out of the way in time before it could shock anything. Everyone was to distracted to pay attention to Shou as she lunged into the air, her spear point ready to strike.

Tojiko could barely dodge. Her legs were already giving - not good. She hastily backed up and drew more blunt arrows out of her quiver, preparing to fire. Shou deflected the first one, receiving a small jolt, and simply ducked the second one. The storm continued to brew above the two as they ducked and assailed each other.

Shou finally backflipped into the air to avoid a plethora of arrows, giving Tojiko an opportunity to jump forward and duck as Shou swung her spear downwards. Performing some acrobatic tricks of her own, Tojiko neatly landed in the center of the arena and bit her lip as her legs burned with pain. She needed to buy some time for herself before she could try _that _again.

"Gagouji's Cyclone!"

Magical arrows of danmaku suddenly filled the ring, spiraling outwards from Tojiko. The archer focused on controlling their trajectory - the stronger the technique, the more difficult it is to manipulate, and Tojiko found it wholly true with this particular arrangement. The arrows, under her influence, turned and began flying for Shou.

The tiger stepped backwards and swung her spear, slicing through waves of arrows. While many were averted, quite a few either bounced off her armor or got stuck in between the chinks, shocking her slightly.

Shou suddenly raised her pagoda, letting it shine even brighter than before. The light was hard on Tojiko's eyes, as she stumbled backwards and tried to call the tiger off, desperately shooting, trying her best not to get hit. Shou, however, would not go down without a fight, and prepared to lunge with her spear as she jumped high into the air once more and began moving forward.

Out of pure instinct, Tojiko squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head. She could hear Byakuren scream a few incomprehensable words before a huge lightning bolt slammed into the ground, deflecting Shou and knocking everyone within fifty feet to the ground.

She waited for a few seconds, not sure if the spear would plunge through her or if Shou had backed off. Tojiko hesiantly opened her eyes and saw everyone sprawled out on the ground, and a blackened circle around her person.

"Oh, shit." Tojiko rushed to Shou and helped her up from the ground. The girl's hair stood straight up, a frizzy mess of yellow and black, and the ground surrounding her positively glittered with jewels, seemingly coming from nowhere. Her spear still had all of its gems set, and the pagoda had not been smashed to bits. Perhaps she had dropped them?

"Shit, did I kill you? Talk to me."

Shou slowly opened her eyes. They were a deep and fierce gold. "Cheater." She mumbled absentmindedly as her eyes rolled around a little in her head.

"Well, fuck." Tojiko folded her arms and mentally reprimanded herself as she dismissed the storm she'd gathered. She'd let her fright and anger get to her again. It looks like the shock didn't really kill anyone, as the audience was slowly rising up and mumbling, clutching their foreheads.

"Really, I would have expected several years of combat school help you keep a lid on your ability." Byakuren's voice scolded Tojiko from behind. She looked as normal as anyone, being the only one aside from Tojiko to not have an incredibly interesting hairdo.

"Byakuren?" Tojiko glanced behind her and looked at the magician. "Did you get away?"

"Nope." Byakuren's scroll flew around her body, seemingly panicked as it danced around in a swirl of colors. "Cast a defense spell. It's good enough that nothing short of a giant anchor being dropped from the sky can hurt me."

Tojiko had to wonder at the oddly specified words, but quickly dismissed it as the rainbow-shaded sutra scroll rolled itself back up became the two thin blue rods once again. Byakuren hoisted Shou off the ground and gave the dazed girl her spear and pagoda.

"We might want to leave soon." Byakuren noted as she indicated at the audience. Several looked angry, with flustered, red faces, and some were unsheathing weapons. Nearly everyone apart from Shou and Byakuren was looking at the trio with an intense desire to show them up.

"You really are an idiot sometimes, aren't you?"

Tojiko didn't respond, quickly gathering her fallen arrows and rushing away as Byakuren helped Shou up from the ground. She dashed off into the city with Byakuren close behind, not looking behind her once as the cries of war arose from the angered audience...

* * *

Futo precariously balanced on the railing as she looked out towards the massive lake. Pines lined the distant shore, so far away, and an impossibly tall mountain rose in the clouds. Far away, a small village layed at the foot of the mountain, and atop a series of atrocious cliffs a sprawling academy glittered in the morning light, so distant and yet so tangiable...

"Nazrin..."

Futo payed no heed to the distant cries of a person from far away. She closed her deep grey eyes and slowly inhaled the breeze coming off of the lake. It gently carressed her face as it rustled through the trees and swirled around the water. She focused her mind towards her center, deepening herself with her surroundings... she was at utter peace.

"Naaaaaazrin..."

The cries were coming closer, rolling off the tongue with a faint Scottish accent. Futo scowled and leaned forward, trying to ignore the irritating voice with all of her might. Footsteps approached behind her, loud and clear, clicking on the pavement.

"NAZRIN!"

This time, the voice came up right behind her. Startled, Futo tipped over the railing by accident, coming into free fall for for a split second. The girl braced herself and prepared to become drenched in water as she fell towards the lake surface. Luckily, two strong hands grabbed at her ankles and hoisted her back up before she could tumble into the lake.

"Ah-"

Futo's heart raced as she tried to find her words, kneeling on the cement. A girl with somewhat curly black hair and light green eyes looked over her in a panic. This was evidently the person who had come up behind her and dragged her back up from falling into the lake. She wore a considerably odd uniform, a teal and white kind of uniform your average sailor would wear, ableit with a skirt instead, and a dark grey scarf wrapped around her neck with no real visible edge. A captain's hat was perched atop her head like a bird roosting on a branch. Her weapon, a kind of large military-type gun Futo couldn't identify for the life of her. Futo's specialty was seals and danmaku, not standard weapons, though she could barely call that kind of gun standard, judged by its size and probable weight.

"Lordy, I thought with that tumble ye took ye was goin' ta fall in Davy Jones' Locker and stay down there!"

The sailor's eyes bugged out in excitement as she spoke. She reached out for Futo's hand and helped the pyrotechnic off of the ground, waiting as the grey haired girl dusted off her pants.

"Ye _is _alright, right, sailor?"

"Y-yes, thyself is well! Excellent, in fact!"

The two awkwardly stood for a minute, waiting for the other person to speak. A long, awkward silence ensued as Murasa sleepily glanced at Futo, hardly paying attention. As if suddenly becoming aware of the situation, her green eyes lit up in surprise and she quickly curtseyed to Futo.

"Where are my manners? I'm Minamitsu Murasa, tho everyone calls me plain ol' Murasa. And ye's name...?"

"Ah- Futo Mononobe."

"Aye, I see. Anyway, I'm lookin' for a kiddo called Nazrin. Short, light grey hair, always wears this black hat, grey dress, has two black rods..." Murasa studied Futo's face for a second before frowning. "Ah. Ye hasn't seen her."

Futo practically stammered out her next sentence, tripping over herself verbally. Something about Murasa was plain unsettling - a smell of death seemed to linger around her, despite her lively demeanor and cheery smiles. The... whatever it was, was almost suffocating. She abstained from outright running away - the girl _had _saved her from falling into the lake, after all, but had also been the reason why she had nearly fell...

"I must now be on my way, it was a considerable pleasure meeting thou-"

Futo blinked once, looking around the street. Murasa had vanished, seemingly, with no trace except for a faint smell of the ocean. She was left at an empty dock, with only herself to talk to.

Far away, the voice started up again.

"Naaaaaazrin..."


	5. Desire Dream, Part 1

Few people knew of the small river that ran through the woods, located just by the little town. It was purely by chance that Miko had discovered it - however, she was quite glad that she had unexpectedly stumbled upon it, for the woods were quiet except for the gurgling of water and the rustle of leaves. Autumn colors were already beginning to paint the leaves red, orange and gold. Not a desire was to be heard anywhere - only the peaceful silence of the forest. She seated herself on a large tree stump and simply sat by the river, attempting to ease herself from nervousness.

However, she soon found herself pondering things soon to come. What would happen to her at the school? Would she be paired up with her friends, or would she have to befriend new people? What if people from her old school were there, or perhaps famed idols she had desired to meet all her life? Would she be looked upon as a good fighter? Her weapon was ridiculously simple - for all that she knew, perhaps someone had a sniper rifle that unfolded into a scythe, or a grenade launcher that became a hammer, or even something positively complicated, like a rifle that became a sword and a spear. Would anyone even like her? What if she became homesick?

She thought of her dear friends. Seiga, was no doubt, receiving their uniforms from the tailor that worked within town - Tojiko was probably examining weapons under the watchful eye of the owner, while Futo and Yoshika were far away in a library, peacefully delving into liteature. As for people she had yet to meet... they were having their own adventures.

Miko's ears twitched under her dense earmuffs. A faraway sound echoed through the woods, the howling of a wolf. Then, metal cutting through air, the unmistakable noise of a faint, high-pitched scream, and then silence.

The saint rose quickly. What happened? It was undoubtable, however, that someone was in danger. She lunged and leapt the creek, the sound leading her through the woods as she stumbled into the thicket.

She leapt a fallen tree and rolled, coming up onto one knee. Chunks of black fur had been scattered among the clearing that she stood in, still attached to skin. At the far end of the grassy circle, corpses of wolfish creatures - _Tengu Ayakashi - _had been thrown carelessly and now hung limp in the grass. In the very center, a beastly black tengu wolf, a great monstrous thing with a small red hat perched on its head in some sort of irony circled a small grey-haired girl with a navy blue jacket and a grey skirt, along with a belt that possessed too many pockets to count - really, how many pockets could one have? Her hair was somewhat kempt by a black colored hat that covered most of her head, but her face showed a look of desperation as she held up a shining pendulum, attempting to ward off the monster.

Without even thinking, Miko pulled her sword out of its sheath, holding it high above her head as she yelled "Beast!"

Both the girl and the great monster looked her way - the tengu, with curiosity, and the girl, with a slight sense of awe and offence. Miko pointed her thoughts at the beast, and its mind opened like a book to her. Nothing but a desire to kill, as far as she could see - it made her head ache, but she stood ground as it formulated a plan to coldly murder her.

She saw it pounce even before it moved its muscles - she rolled out of the way, leaving the great hulking beast to bite the dust. Before it could even stand back up, she sliced at it with her sword, slicing it lightly across the side, grazing its flank. The beast howled more out of a wounded pride than a real wound.

Out of the corner of her eye, Miko saw the grey-haired girl struggle to stand up. Her pendulum clutched in one hand, she held two L shaped rods in her other hand, using them to support herself. She averted her eyes back to the beast, which snarled and pounced again, its claw catching her in the chest and throwing her across the clearing, nearly knocking the wind out of her.

Miko jumped back up again, artfully deflecting the swipe of a paw as the beast went at her again. The other claw came rushing at her, which she jumped and used the uppercut that came next as leverage to jump onto the beast's back. Running down its spine, she slashed her sword across its back, opening many wounds, and lunged back into the grass to prepare for her next attack.

The beast, its dignity wounded, howled once more and went straight at her. She could see what it wanted to do - bear down on her and bite off her head, but just before it reached she rolled under it.

Miko stabbed upwards with her sword, catching the beast on the chest as she staggered under its weight, her sword sinking into its chest. It fell to its side and snarled again, though rather weakly. She quickly pulled the sword out and raised the blade for one last strike, closing her eyes shut as she lopped off its head. The great hulking beast dissolved into small colored lights - desires - that drifted off into the sky. The saint watched them go before wiping her bloodstained sword on the grass, attempting to clean it. When it seemed reasonably clean, she sheathed it once again.

"You're safe n-"

Miko turned towards the grey-haired girl, but where the small figure of a human once stood, there was nobody. Faint footsteps echoed in the distance. She frowned once, remembering the offended look on her face when Miko had attempted to call out the monster, draw its attention away. Why would there be an ayakashi - a whole pack of them, it seemed, so close to a town? Her face grew dark with worry as she left the clearing, heading back towards the river.

"Just who was that girl, anyways?"

* * *

It took ten minutes. Ten minutes to run the entire way to the station, chased by an overexcited yamabiko, restrained by a time limit, barely keeping her hold on a stack of books, Rigid Cannon seemingly growing heavier on her back as she ran with all the might she could, along with her anemia bugging her the entire time. She held out as long as she could, until she blasted through the doors and stumbled into the terminal, collapsing on an empty bench and nearly passing out. Yoshika was proud of herself.

She could barely make out the faint shriek of the yamabiko as she scrambled in afterwards, sliding in neatly on the bench next to Yoshika. She had faint tears in her eyes, though Yoshika could hardly care at this point.

"What's wrong? Why'd you run? Am I scary or something? Do you hate me? Are you one of those jerks that hate youkai?"

The girl overwhelmed her with questions as the poet sluggishly tried to process them. Her books had scattered about the floor, and the green haired girl collected these and, frustrated, dropped them on the bench.

"Here, you can have your stupid books back! I'm not going to spend my time with people who hate me just because I'm not the exact same species as you-"

Before the young girl could continue her rant, however, a hand caught her on the shoulder. The youkai looked up at the figure behind her, a tall girl, with curly chestnut- colored hair and spectacles perched on her nose. She was bundled in a checkered white and red scarf, a tan colored trench coat, with a dark brown skirt, and two small pointed ears poked up from the mess of her hair, while a striped tail swished behind her. A leaf was still caught, resting on the top of her head, as though she had run through a bush. She was holding luggage in one hand, leaving the other hand free.

"Relax, Kyouko."

Her tone was affirmative, but kind. Her words had a powerful effect on Kyouko, as the slightly hysterical girl finally took a deep breath, calmed down considerably, and moved the pile of books aside from the bench, making room for herself to sit.

"I would assume that it was a misunderstanding. Are you willing to clarify...?"

The girl looked questioningly at Yoshika, who, having recovered enough to actually speak coherently, finally sat up and seated herself on the bench properly.

"Um... yes. I-I panicked, because I needed to be at the train station by 9:30, and I never bothered to explain..."

Yoshika bowed her head slightly, looking at the floor in a state of shame. She waited for the older girl in the scarf to speak as she sat down on the bench, between Kyouko and Yoshika. Her tail twitched momentarily as she glanced up at the ceiling, smiling first at the green haired girl, and then at Yoshika herself.

"Hey, just a misunderstanding, right? No need to dwell on it, or feel shame for longer than you need to."

The girl pushed up her glasses as she glanced at Kyouko, who had become stubborn again and was now staring at the wall grumpily with her tongue-in-cheek. The brown haired girl sighed and muttered 'childish' under her breath before tightening her scarf.

"Childish? Gya-te~ I'm not childish, Mamizou!"

"Yes you are."

Kyouko's face reddened furiously, but her mood otherwise seemed to have suddenly improved. She soon burst into a fit of giggling, which quickly subsided after she finally seemed to notice Yoshika again.

"Oh, hey! What IS your name, anyways?"

Mamizou muttered something and facepalmed. "You don't know each other's names?"

Kyouko stuttered as she explained what had happened at the bookstore, repeating information as she went along and overexaggerating the entire tale. Mamizou nodded as she listened to her story, and when the yamabiko had finished, she removed a bottle of some sort of liquor from her coat pocket and sipped thoughtfully.

"Aren't you underaged?" Yoshika pointed out.

Mamizou winked at her as she put the small bottle away once again. "Not if they catch you."

The poet was slightly unnerved, but Kyouko echoed "Not if they catch you. She never drinks a lot anyways. She does keep a lot of vodka in the house though, but I'm not allowed to touch it."

"Because only the finest of tanuki can hold their liquor as well as me." Mamizou sighed happily, her breath reeking of fine alcohol.

Yoshika was now a little disturbed, and decided to steer the conversation towards a safer topic. "So, I'm Yoshika Miyako."

"Miyako, hmm..." Mamizou smiled a little as she looked at Kyouko, who was burying her face in Mamizou's coat, rubbing her cheek on the soft fabric. "This peppy girl here is Kyouko. Even though we're only two years apart, she and I, as well as another friend of mine, will be on a team together. I'm quite eager to face the challenges up ahead, although I'm quite sure we need more team members..." She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Do you have a weapon?"

"Hm?" The question caught Yoshika off guard. She unsheathed the blade and handed it to Mamizou, who inspected the weapon, nodding approvingly. Yoshika had begun with a normal sword, but had later recieved this one. Her model happened to be a rather unusual type, a BASM - Initials for Break-Action Shotgun Machete. She had named it Rigid Cannon some time ago, and had not thought to change the name after all the while. It was somehow charming.

"An excellent weapon, I say. You must keep it in pristine condition." Mamizou carefully handed the weapon back to the poet, who quickly sheathed it and glanced at the time. 9:45. It was best that she should prepare to head out.

"Will you consider an offer of joining my team?"

Yoshika paused, opening her mouth and then shutting it again. The poet noted that she didn't have any food on her and was already begging to feel like she hadn't eaten in weeks. She was slightly surprised, but much too hassled to be very stunned. Mamizou smiled and grabbed the mass of luggage that she was carrying.

"In fact, you could sit on the train with us. We have a few empty spots in out section."

"-I..."

Like magic, a blue blur shot through the crowd in a hurry. Before the poet knew it, she was locked in an embrace with Seiga, who was looking slightly disheveled and grumpily frowning, her face a bright scarlet. She had found a new yellow colored scarf to wear around her neck and a few shopping bags were hanging off her arms. She seemed ready to unleash her throwing knives as she hugged the confused huntress.

"She's mine, don't make a move on her! She'll be on MY team, thank you very much!"

Mamizou shrugged, slightly amused and exasperated, rolling her eyes a little. "Your loss. Come on, Kyouko, let's board the train."

As the blue haired beauty practically dragged Yoshika by one arm, the poet watched Mamizou and Kyouko vanish among the crowd, the younger girl complaining about her dead phone battery. Seiga mumbled obscenities under her breath as Yoshika, slightly dazed, mumbled to herself "What the hell?"

And nobody quite ever gave her an answer, as they boarded the train for the final step of their journey.


	6. Desire Dream, Part 2

The train…

Nazrin sped through the crowd, slipping by undetected as she searched in vain. She had already been lucky enough to reach the terminal - she would have to thank the girl with funny hair that had saved her back in the field later.

She frowned as she mused about the peculiar encounter. Why would an ayakashi be so close to the city? They hated humans and tried to kill them at every turn, but the light of civilization - and the apathy of the hunters and huntresses - were quite enough to ward them back. Slightly depressed, she pondered if her weapons were useless. Pendulum and Rose normally did a fine job in combat - however, the odd combination of sharpened dowsing rods and crystal barriers were not servicable in certain situations. She would have been dead had that girl not come to fight back the horrid beast after she had killed the rest.

Nazrin suddenly realized that it would be quite easy to find the others. She almost slapped herself out of frustration at the realization that having A.) A friend with the ability to attract treasure and a jeweled spear and pagoda and B.) One's own ability to find treasure would have made the search for her friends infinitely easier.

She focused on the object she was looking for. Small, bright - a thatched roof with a rope circling around the bottom of the sphere - light bright enough to blind someone. Her dowsing rods jerked to the right, leading Nazrin right where she needed to go.

As she was about thirty meters from the estimated location of the pagoda, the whistle of the train went off. A conductor's shout was drowned out by the locomotive as it started to gain speed.

No! Nazrin sprinted up to the platform, and, almost stumbling onto the tracks, managed to leap and grab someone's hand through the still-open doors of one compartment.

She wasn't expecting her arm to nearly be yanked out of her socket as the doors shut to a close and she was yanked inside, face-planting on the other wall. A faint shout of 'Sorry' could barely be heared as a ringing noise began inside her head, which now had a splitting headache.

"Don't ever do that again, Murasa."

Nazrin groaned and fell back onto the floor, pulling down her hat, which was in danger of falling off her head. The sheepish grinning of one black-haired, green-eyed girl loomed over her face as she helped the smaller girl sit up and lean against the wall of the cab.

Even through her dizzy vision (she just got thrown against a wall, basically), Nazrin could faintly make out her friends. They all looked a little concerned as Nazrin held her head in one hand and dropped her dowsing rods on the floor.

"I'm not a tank, you know." She mumbled as she eyed the sailor, who had decided to sit down on the floor next to her as Byakuren and Shou began conversing about something she couldn't make out.

"I panicked." Was the only response she got from the girl, who looked somewhat horrified at what just happened. "I wasn't tryin' to hurt ye..."

"You do need to be more careful, though." A new voice called out as a girl with light purple hair, a blue jacket, a white skirt with blue fringe, and black boots sat down on the other side of Nazrin. "Not everyone is as strong as you, especially Nazrin. I mean-" Ichirin Kumoi swallowed a little as Nazrin did her best death-glare, which she was quite skilled at. "- Nazrin is plenty strong. Just not in the same way." She sighed in relief when Nazrin subsided, finally standing up to sit next to Shou.

"Hey, Nazzie." Shou greeted her comrade with a cheerful smile. Nazrin sometimes wondered if Shou, despite her tragic past, was ever sad herself. She seemed to be an invincible beacon of happiness for the team, constantly supporting the others. Shou was basically the only reason that Murasa hadn't gone mad from depression in the earlier days, when they were just wandering fighters. The sailor's story was quite upsetting, not something Nazrin really wanted to reflect on now. She scooted closer to Shou as she glanced out the window, watching the pine trees flash by as the train ran through the forest and skirted just around the lake. The day was bright and clear, the autumn leaves flashing past as the train kicked them up off the ground with the wind.

"I can't believe we'll be students in one of the greatest combat schools built in history!" Shou squealed a little, the joy leaking from her face almost incomprehensible. She certainly looked ready to tackle a school that would teach them to fight some of the most terrifying monsters that had ever emerged from the shadows. With her shining spear, Bishamonten, strapped to her back, with Daikokuten, her pagoda, at hand, she looked ready to fight. Her hair seemed unusually frizzy, with strands sticking up.

"You smell like you've been hit with lightning." Nazrin frowned.

Shou laughed nervously. "I kind of was…"

Nazrin raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "Tell me."

Instead of Shou speaking up, Byakuren began to explain. The warrior saint looked somewhat amused and exasperated as she described what had happened. "We met one of our old friends while we were sparring. She accidentally shocked some of us while she and Shou were sparring…"

The treasure hunter paused. "A… friend?"

"Tojiko Soga." Byakuren confirmed. "I met her at my old academy, before I met you guys. She's living with… Miko Toyosatomimi? Miko was a fierce competitor of mine at that academy. We were always at each other's throats."

Nazrin chuckled a little at the thought of Byakuren, one of the nicest people she knew, fiercely competing like that. "So… who are these Tojiko and Miko girls? What do they look like."

"Tojiko?" Byakuren smiled a little, seemingly amused."Not too memorable, to be honest. Has light green hair, and a rather fierce temper. Her semblance is lightning - see, that's why she shocked us. Or Shou, at least, I barely had time to put up a defense spell for myself. Miko, however… Her hair sticks up a little. It makes her look like an owl. It's actually kind of funny. And her personality… It's so incredibly overwhelming. Sometimes, it feels like she sees right through you. Considering that her semblance is hearing desires, she probably does." The gradient-haired girl shuddered a little.

"Funny hair, huh…" The dowser's thoughts drifted back to the girl who had saved her in the field. "I actually met a girl like that a while ag- oh, sh-" Nazrin clapped her hands over her mouth as everyone turned to look at her. Funny-looking hair, an overwhelming personality in battle, predicting enemy attacks (she must have been listening to the ayakashi's desires)… if they were both headed to become the best, then it would have been obvious that this Miko girl would head to the same academy.

"Byakuren." She said in a strained voice. "I have something you might want to hear…"

* * *

"What do you mean, Byakuren's here?"

Tojiko wished she had never mentioned her encounter with the saint. Miko was practically pinning her to the wall, a wild look of panic spread across her face.

"Miko, get off of me, goddamnit!" Tojiko pushed the grey-eyed girl away and scooted closer to Futo, who looked at her with confusion. Miko paused and suddenly snapped back into reality, slipping out of her wild panic state. She blushed and mumbled something as she slunk back into her seat, where Seiga put her arm around her.

"I'm just saying, I saw her in the town. No need to flip the fuck out, Miko." Tojiko sighed, exasperated. "Damn, any mention of Byakuren just pushes your berserker button, huh? What's the big deal with you and her, anyways?"

"I thought she was dead, actually." Miko blushed a little. "When people disappear like that, it usually means something bad happened to them. But I guess she's alive."

"No shit, she's alive." Tojiko smirked. "She actually blocked a huge blast of lightning with her little scroll. I was pretty impressed, but then everyone was out to kill us and leave our dismembered corpses for the monsters to eat, so we ran."

"I wonder if she's going to the academy." After a moment of incredibly stunned 'are-you-kidding-me' silence, Miko sighed. "Actually, that's a stupid question."

"Of course she's going to the academy. Why else would she be here?" Seiga smarted a little.

"Sightseeing?" Futo hopefully asked.

"I think not! At this time of the year, with combat skills such as that… it's obvious she has the same destination in mind." Seiga slouched a little. "If we can figure out a way to perform better than her in Initiation-"

"Stop." Miko looked genuinely upset, but somehow determined. "Look… I've decided. I don't want a competition with her. I want to rebuild my friendship with her. Start a new legacy. I can't just make everything a fight based on the past. It was a silly fight back then, and it would be even sillier if I continued it here."

Seiga still had her mouth hanging open a little. After a few seconds, she swallowed and smiled.

"Actually, I think you've grown up quite a bit, Miko Toyosatomimi."

"I'm with ya, Miko." Tojiko raised her hand. "Let's do this shit."

"I quaintly agree with your opinion." Futo raised her hand as well.

Seiga absentmindedly glanced towards Yoshika, who was ignoring the entire conversation and reading her newfound poetry book instead. "Yoshika?"

"Hmm?" The girl briefly glanced up from her book. "There's a light on in the attic… I mean, yes, I'm with you too."

"We're all in." Seiga smiled at Miko. "Who's ready to plunge into this adventure?"

It was the moment that everyone was truly ready to begin. Miko knew that there would be no backing out, that crazy things would happen, tragic things, and stressful things… but Miko knew that she couldn't have had a better team, as the train rounded the final corner and began the ascension to the grand academy that rested atop the cliffs. The train came up to the hill, allowing them a grand view of the academy at last, but only for a second as it rolled into a tunnel and into the final station.

"We all are, Seiga."

_Greetings. This is Burcaresti, the author of this story._

_With my current virus keeping me bedridden, Christmas right around the corner, and the general feeling of something big about to happen, I've been quite excited. (Well, not about the illness. I hate getting sick, especially the day you're supposed to perform in a play. Oh well, I'm certain that my backup did excellently.)_

_I actually have an abandoned account, and I've tried my hand at writing for two years, and this is the first story that I feel will really go somewhere. Among the failures, there has to be a sucsess somewhere, and this crazy crossover with swords that light up like fire, electric bows that shoot lightning and arrows alike, machete-shotguns, megaphones with the power of creating walls of sound, and grenade launchers that become anchors… (hehe, you'll see.)_

_I've already had several friends assist me on the way of writing these six short chapters, but I have far more planned. It seems insane, the amount of detail I have planned for this story. In fact, sometimes I talk for hours about one particular segment of the story with my friends. Anyways, thank you to Yakumo_Ran, Kimmachinima, Nitori, and all my readers. I give you my heartfelt thanks._

_This is far from the end of the story, if you think this is an epilogue of some sorts. Rather, these first chapters are something like a prologue. The real story starts now._

_-The Doll Maker of Burcaresti_


	7. A New Wind at the Shrine, Part 1

While still not comparable to, say, the train station of Charming, or Avarice, the tiny train station that was positioned just at the border of the campus of Phantasm was quite quaint and small. Students surged through the gates as a loud banner proclaiming 'WELCOME TO PHANTASM, STUDENTS OF NEW AND OLD' fluttered in the underground breeze that filled the little station.

Miko's heart leapt into her throat. Just at the gates, a tall, gradient-haired girl that had to be Byakuren was talking with a shorter one with black hair. So she was here, as she had predicted. Now she had to talk to her old rival.

"Oh no." Futo groaned and slapped her forehead. "_She's here._"

"Byakuren? No shit." Tojiko smirked.

"No, not her." Futo dismissed it with a shake of her head and a wave of her hand. "Creepy Death Girl. I'll explain." She said as Tojiko's eyebrows disappeared into her hair after being raised so high.

"You mean the other girl with the huge gun on her back?"

"No- well, I mean, yes, I said I'll explain."

"Shut it, I'm going to lose Byakuren." Miko was picking up her pace, trying to catch up with the magician. The black-haired girl, seemingly satisfied, nodded and smiled. Byakuren and her then continued on their way, followed by a few other girls as they headed outside the station.

"NO-" Miko almost shouted in the middle of the station before clasping her hands over her mouth. Almost crazed, the saint stumbled up the steps to the outside as fast as she could.

What stopped her, though, as she finally managed to look up after running a few yards onto the walkway, was the sheer beauty of the place. It was clear that the whole place must be expensive to take care of - a nostalgic, red-bricked building with stained glass windows that was the Grand Hall sat in front of them, a clean white pathway lined with the red, orange, and yellow shades of fall in the trees. A fountain stood in the main court just before the doors, the water clean and sparkling. A boundary marked the campus from the forest with the dark evergreen trees neatly bordering the fields of grass trapped between the buildings and pathways.

"It's..."

"Well... the view from the train's got no money on _this..."_

The girls took a moment to admire the sheer beauty of it all. Students were filing into the hall before, but Miko noticed just ahead that Byakuren had just stopped by the fountain for a moment - whether it was to admire the view, or something, it didn't matter.

"HIJIRI!"

"...an' that's how it happened." Murasa finished. Byakuren chuckled for a moment at the anecdote before the loud voice of one VERY excited Miko came rushing at her. The nun was silent for a minute as the slightly crazed saint stopped dead in her tracks and took a minute to catch her breath.

"Hello, Miko." Byakuren was totally deadpan as the flustered saint tried to convey what she was trying to say with frantic arm motions. Needless to say, it was actually kind of funny to watch, but eventually Miko calmed down and took a deep breath.

"It's nice to see you, too."

"Byakuren, do ye _know_ this girl?" Murasa asked the nun in slight disbelief. Miko's other friends finally caught up with the frantic huntress. Almost immediately, Shou and Tojiko made eye contact, then frantically tried to look the other way as they remembered the brief sparring match they had. However, the opposite happened as Murasa noticed Futo trying to hide behind Tojiko, and smiled.

"Hide me." Futo mumbled to Nazrin, who had snuck away from the ensuing insanity.

"She had six cups of navy coffee this morning; she's your problem now." The girl whispered back before scattering.

Meanwhile, Miko was trying to regain her composure as she brushed off her clothes and sutbly tried to slow her breathing. Byakuren simply raised one eyebrow as Miko, satisfied, poked her head back up again, speaking with all her saintly authority.

"Uhh... you remember me from the academy... right?"

"Indeed. I believe we were the fiercest of rivals."

"Uhh, see, that's the thing." Miko's heart raced with nervousness. How was she supposed to explain this? It didn't help that her face was flushed, or that her heart was beating faster than a mouse's, or that she felt like she was trying to relay a conversation after drinking several cups of coffee. "WellIdon'twanttobeenemieswithyouifyouknowwhatImeanright?"

Byakuren paused for a second. "What did you say?"

"I'm sorry." Miko tried to slow her pace. "I don't-" She had to force herself to not spit out all her words at once. An influx of emotions raced through her being. She could see that Byakuren wanted to do something else, but if she could keep her attention for just a little longer-

Byakuren shrugged a little. "If you want me to talk to you later, that's fine, at least when you're not a nervous wreck" The nun waltzed off, walking towards the massive great hall and once again, blending in with the crowd. Miko helplessly watched her go.

"DAMNIT."

Miko collapsed onto the cement, slumping on the bench next to the fountain. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as a very happy Murasa practically dragged Futo, who was trying to escape, towards the building, while Shou and Tojiko noticed the two and rushed after them. Seiga and Ichirin began wandering in another direction, caught up in a heated conversation.

Miko slumped a little. _I can practically read minds, but I can't even start a conversation with Byakuren. _She decided, after a while, to attribute it to her nervousness and made a mental note to catch the nun's eye when she wasn't so flustered, but she still felt like somewhat of a failure.

"Hey."

The saint barely glanced up, but what managed to catch her attention was much more interesting. A young girl, barely sixteen, dressed in a yellow and black jacket and a green skirt with a rose pattern, offered Miko her hand. A black hat was perched on her silvery-green hair, and, interestingly, bluish-purple cords danced around her small figure, looping into heart shapes and circles, only to connect together right above her chest, at a floating eye shut tight. Instictively, Miko tried to read her mind, but she came upon a surprise.

It was completely empty.

"My name is Koishi Komeiji. How are you doing?"

* * *

If it wasn't obvious that she and Ichirin were becoming fast friends, then Seiga was the queen of Illyria.

"Where are we, anyways?"

The two girls glanced around. A small path leading off into the forest had caught Seiga's eye, which led her a bit of a ways into the dense foliage. Now, they had wandered onto a brick path, with a small staircase leading up to a red colored shrine gate.

"Isn't this the little shrine on the campus?" Ichirin questioned.

"I suppose we should... take a look..."

Seiga glanced around for her bag. Then she remebered she had dropped it in the building, right next to where Tojiko was sitting, before going off to talk with Ichirin. Shrugging, she ascended the steps, coming upon a rather small shrine stituated in the middle of a clearing, with a storage shed off to the side. The whole place seemed empty, and a very forlorn donation box sat on the pathway in front of them. Without even thinking, Ichirin fished around for some coins and dropped them into the donation box, the metal clacking against the rotting wood.

They were immediately greeted with a blast of wind as a brown-haired girl dressed in red robes shot out of the shrine, scraping to a stop at the donation box, and cautiously opened the lid. When she was greeted with the sight of coins, the smile on her face increased tenfold, and she quickly rose up and immediately tackle-hugged Ichirin.

"I love you~~~~~~~"

"Woah, Reimu, so energetic at the prospect of money." Another girl, a golden-haired teenager wearing a black and white dress with a crazy pointed hat barely hanging on her head swooped out from behind the shrine, sitting on a flying broomstick. She came to a halt a few feet from the crazed girl, chucking in amusement.

The other girl - Reimu, presumably, finally let Ichirin out of her embrace, where the indigo-haired girl stumbled, only for Seiga to catch her and help her stand up. The shrine maiden, satisfied, scooped up the coins from the box and stuffed them into a hidden pocket on her large, white sleeves. Her hair was done up with red ribbons, and a gohei served as a hairstick, much like Seiga's own hairpin.

"Ahaha-" She was whapped over the head as the other girl landed on the ground and smacked her with her broomstick. "You're so mean, Marisa-"

"Go on, give them a proper introduction. The Hakurei Maiden needs to display her proper manners." Marisa smirked as Reimu bowed deeply to the girls.

"Ah... Welcome to the Hakurei Shrine, the little shrine that lingers at the boundaries of Phantasm. I am Reimu Hakurei, the Shrine Maiden that tends to this place." She elbowed Marisa.

"I'm Marisa Kirisame. I'm just a friend of Reimu, really. I don't go to the academy."

"What are you?" Seiga asked, slightly suspicious. As far as she could tell, Reimu was human, but there was something about Marisa that was making her suspicious. She couldn't even tell what it was, but it was eerily unsettling

"Hmm..." Marisa put a hand on her chin. "Should we tell her just for kicks, Reimu?."

"I don't care." Reimu was playing with the change that was hidden up her sleeves. She didn't have too much of it, Seiga noted.

"Ah. I would be a Nightmare." Marisa nodded with satisfaction.

"A Nightmare?"

In a flash, Seiga had whipped out her throwing knives, the poison danmaku primed and ready. A Nightmare, right on this campus? What kind of school _was _this?

"Wait, what IS a Nightmare?" Ichirin cried, slightly lost. She was searching her pockets for something.

"Have you ever wondered why sometimes, humans and youkai die in their sleep?" Seiga prompted Ichirin. "Nightmares are dream creatures that kill people when they're asleep, and the only way you can be saved is if the Dream Maiden is watching- hey, wait a second." Seiga lowered her knives and pointed an accusing finger at Reimu. "You're the Hakurei Maiden, aren't you? Aren't they also Dream Maidens, too? What are you doing, letting a Nightmare over here?"

"I can't kill Marisa." Reimu said in a deadpan. "She's simply too powerful to be exterminated, so she and Yakumo made a deal. Marisa wouldn't kill anyone here, while she would also be allowed unrestricted freedom here in the normal world."

"That's right." Marisa chuckled. "You can put your knives away now. I'll note that you're a fierce one."

Seiga blushed furiously and put her knives away. With a huff, she stepped back to let Ichirin put in her share of the conversation.

"So, what exactly is the whole deal with Dream Maidens and Nightmares and whatnot?"

"Dream Maidens also manage the Dream World. In dreams, repeating patterns or familiar places can sometimes be part of our subconscious, but they may also be unique features of a dream plane. Nightmares are like monsters on these dream planes - they go around killing people in their sleep, but we Dream Maidens exterminate them. However, this Nightmare-" Reimu indicated to Marisa, who was looking through the pocket in her apron for something "-is so notoriously powerful it's literally impossible to kill her. So she and Yakumo made a deal, like I said earlier. Anyways, Dream Maidens are always Hakurei Maidens, so we all have the same power - the power of floating." To prove her point, she rose up off the ground like a lantern, which creeped out and astonished Seiga somewhat. "However, this particular ability can extend far beyond just this-"

Ichirin simply gave a confused look. Reimu sighed. "Forget it. Anyways, the bell will probably go off soon, in which case-"

Far away, the distant chime of bells rang out from the great hall. Seiga's face paled.

"We should probably hustle." Reimu took to the air and flew off, Marisa following close behind on her broomstick. Seiga swore under her breath and rushed after the two flying maidens, taking out her hairpin and dashing back onto the path.

"Wait for me!" Ichirin stumbled after her, almost tripping on the path. The two flying girls left them in the dust as Ichirin reached for Seiga's hand and the two dashed off together.


	8. A New Wind at the Shrine, Part 2

The doors were locked. Luckily, for someone like Seiga, this was hardly a problem.

Reaching for her hairpin, she carved a neat hole in the door before kicking the cut panel away. Now that she could see inside the building, everyone was simply staring as she stepped through the newly carved hole, Ichirin hopping in after her, and Reimu and Marisa soaring in.

The grand hall was quite grand, indeed. A soaring roof, easily eighty feet high, hung above their heads, chandeliers sparkling and dangling from the ceiling. A large purple carpet covered the walkway and came to a stop just before the large stage. Benches lined the walkway, packed with students, all of whom were giving her looks of amazement - whether it be at the hole in the door, or the free-floating Reimu and Marisa.

The people standing on the stage seemed more amused. Well, the woman in purple - that had to be Yukari, the headmistress, - seemed highly amused by the whole ordeal, while another woman standing just by, a fox youkai with nine bushy tails and white and blue robes seemed more irritated than amused, holding a small electronic tablet in her hand. Seiga put up her hairpin again, sealing the door shut with some sort of black magic once again. The hole vanished, along with the cut panel.

"Welcome, Reimu and Marisa. Welcome, students. You do realize that the reason we installed doors was so you could open them, correct?"

The fox youkai looked down at the students dryly. Chuckles rang out among the crowd.

"The doors were locked." Reimu called out as she swooped down to the ground, landing neatly on a bench with Marisa following suit. Dusgruntled, the fox scowled and stepped back, letting her mistress walk to the front of the stage and prepare her speech.

Satisfied, Seiga scanned the crowd for her friends. Smiling, she took a seat next to Yoshika, who barely gave her a glance, and Ichirin sat down next to Seiga. The lights dimmed as a lone spotlight shone on Yukari and the fox youkai.

"Welcome, new and old students of Phantasm. My name is Yukari Yakumo, and I am the headmistress of this school. I hope the journey was a fine one." Yukari smiled at the students in the crowd as her voice echoed through the hall, reverberating off the ornate wood walls.

"As you know, our world is a dark one, full of apparitions and monsters that stalk through the night. It is our duty, as youkai, as humans, as hunters, to fend off those grim monsters - ayakashi, as you might know them. The hunters came to be to protect those who could not protect themselves, to bring the light through darkness, and become a shining beacon in the grim shadows of our have come here today in search of the knowledge that will carry you to victory against the ayakashi. Beware, however - knowledge is not the only thing you need to become a true hunter. Such a task, of finding these other things, is what makes the faithless and the arrogant fall. To find those things, it is up to you to search for them."

The crowd held their breath, waiting for Yukari to continue. Without even glancing to the side, she snapped her fingers, reached into another gap, and withdrew a small pamphlet, drawing mild surprise from the crowd.

"First years, I would like to congratulate you on being accepted into this school in the first place - the entry test and requirements, as all of you know, are difficult to meet. They rely on a large number of factors, talents, and goodwill. But no matter that, all of you have arrived safely, and it is good that you have made it. Now, your agenda for the next two days happens to differ from the older students - while Ran will give you instructions on where you are to go and such today, _I _will give you instructions on tomorrow. There is a test that you must take."

"Already?" Tojiko whimpered, speaking in a hushed tone. Noises of dissatisfaction arose from the crowd.

"This test - however - is quite unlike many tests you have taken before. There is no studying required - in fact, I discourage it for this. This is a test that will rely on quick wits and teamwork, not carefully drawn out plans and preset pairs. After you have completed the test, teams will be formed, and then the normal classes shall start as they always do. I wish you good luck on this test, though undoubtedly I have faith in all of you that you shall complete it with ease."

"Mistress Yukari." The fox prompted. The headmistress nodded and let the fox youkai take her place on the podium as she stepped into yet another gap, vanishing off to god knows where. The youkai scrolled through something on the tablet before clearing her throat and addressing the crowd.

"Welcome, students. My name is Ran Yakumo. First years, please leave your luggage in the ballroom - it's easy to find - and please don't wander into the forest. Dinner is at six. Other students, your rooms are exactly where they are last time - don't hesitate to set up. You are dismissed."

Ran waltzed off the stage, shouldering the curtain aside and disappearing behind it, leaving the large crowd of students to begin murmuring to each other and heading into the direction of the ballroom. Seiga rose from her seat, stretching, before absentmindedly glancing at Miko, who was murmuring to a silver-haired girl with a third eye that was sitting right next to her.

"Miko." Seiga prompted. Both of them looked up, at which Seiga suddenly noticed the other girl. She frowned a little and made a mental note to ask Miko about her.

Miko nodded. She murmured a goodbye to the girl next to her, before picking up her luggage and trailing behind Seiga as the blue haired beauty sauntered out of the grand hall, following the other students as they scampered along the walkways that cut through the grass and shuffled into another building quite close by. A large arrow pointed at the entrance with a sign proclaiming 'BALLROOM', a helpful guide to the new students.

"Is she a new friend of yours?" Seiga quipped Miko as Tojiko, Futo and Yoshika drifted behind them, caught up in a conversation.

"Hmm?" Miko seemed distracted in her own thoughts as she glanced at Seiga. "Yea. A new friend." The two stepped inside the dance hall - a building much like the grand hall, with the same sparkling chandeliers and mahogany panels. The place filled up with luggage abound as students stopped to drop their bags in a secure area before either exiting or beginning to converse with other pupils. Seiga hastily dropped her bags in an empty corner, leaning against the wall and letting out a long sigh as her adopted siblings left their luggage in a tidy pile atop of her belongings.

"Miko?"

"Yes?" The saint sat down next to Seiga, slumping a little as she twirled a lock of hair, distracted.

"What's wrong?"

Miko refused to make eye contact and stared at the ground, tracing her finger along the polished wood planks. Her voice trembled a little. "Nothing. I just... Yes, it's about Byakuren. I don't want to deal with it right now"

"Anxious?" Seiga prompted. Miko's desire reading was quite hindering sometimes, especially when she got so moody like this. It was hard to see her so upset over something like this.

"Yea. A little." She rose up from her sitting position, stretched, then brushed off her skirt. "I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

"But-"

"Trust me, I'm fine." The saint forced a smile and ambled away, leaving the beauty by herself as people quickly filed out of the spacious room. Seiga rose to her own feet, shaking her head as she pushed the door open and out of the way and began aimlessly wandering down the path.

_Honestly, what has gotten into that girl?_

* * *

Ichirin would be swearing like a sailor if it wasn't for the time she spent around Byakuren. Instead, she was mostly keeping them in her head.

Well, the only sailor she knew was Murasa, who wasn't exactly one to curse in a perilous situation. Well, _she _would probably prefer to try and talk it out with the offender, unless it was an ayakashi, at which point she would give up on negotiating and simply send guns a-blazing. Ichirin herself still had no idea exactly what Murasa's weapon even _was, _so the point was moot.

Ichirin, officially distracted, dismissed the offending thoughts and dodged a few branches as she barreled into the woods. She'd caught wind of some fools already breaking the one rule they were given, and then give them a piece of her mind before dragging them to safety. Honestly, what idiot would go straight into a forest full of bloodthirsty monsters after they were told exactly not to do that?

She abruptedly came to a halt in a small clearing. Weapons were clustered in a small pile near where she'd come in, a trident-rifle thing, an actual musket, and an umbrella, and a pair of students were egging on a blue-haired girl to go further into the woods.

Whatever people were foolish enough to do it, Ichirin had found them.

"Aww, come on, girl." Mamizou Futatsuiwa took a swig of vodka and gestured in the blue haired girl's direction. "Trial of guts. Just twenty more feet, it'll be real quick. Just do a quick dash, touch the tree, run back here. It's easy, yo."

The girl shook her head, tears forming in her hetechromatic eyes - one bright cherry red, one sky blue. "I don't wanna..."

Another girl with spiky black hair, dark red eyes, and a black ensemble urgently tugged on Mamizou's sleeve, a look of worry on her face. "Mamizou, seriously. You're drunk. Come on, just come out of the forest and lie down somewhere, anywhere but here. This is far beyond our normal trickster hijinks."

"Aww, Nue, you're no fun." Mamizou shook the girl's hand off and kept egging on the blunette. "Just do a quick dash. Come on. You can do this."

Gulping, the girl nodded her head, shut her eyes, and barreled into the foliage. Behind Ichirin, Seiga stumbled in and caught her breath, glancing at the girl with indigo hair. "Ichirin, what's going on?"

"These idiots are-" She flinched after a high-pitched scream echoed through the woods, followed by an angry roar. "Shit. Hold on."

"Ichirin-" Seiga took a deep breath and reached into her vest pockets, making a grab for her knives. Ichirin herself ran forward, shoving her hands deep into her coat pockets and withdrawing two gold-colored rings, small white lights lining the outer edge.

The hetechromatic girl burst into the clearing, her face white with fear, before the trees exploded. Nue and Mamizou stumbled back, the chimera barely catching the drunkard before freezing in fear. A huge cloud like entity bore its eyes down on the humans and youkai scattered across the clearing, before reeling back as Ichirin socked it in the face.

"Down, fool!" The brawler landed neatly on the grass, rings at hand, two huge, puffy fists made out of clouds suspended behind her. With a simple flip, she dodged a thin laser shot at her position, and with an excited grin, she bore down on her opponent with no sign of fear.

Seiga, shocked with awe, could barely draw a breath. "My god..."

Ichirin thrust forward with the rings, sending the flying fists straight at the ayakashi. Two blows stunned it, knocking it back aways, before Ichirin followed through with an uppercut. It howled as the relentless barrage came flying down upon it, Ichirin continuously following each attack with another assault. Finally recovering from her mild shock, Seiga reached for her knives, intricate daggers with purple markings along the blade, and threw them as they flew with precision towards the monster's eyes.

While the punches had certainly done their part, the knives embedded themselves deep into the puffy mix of clouds and pure evil. Letting loose one last howl, the cloud monster dissolved into shadow, which fleeted away from the sunlight, dancing into the dark forest.

With a simple click, the knives flew backwards into Seiga's hands, almost grazing her fingers. Seiga glanced with mild distaste at her own weapons before neatly putting them away, while Ichirin, satisfied, shoved the rings back into her pockets. Mamizou, too drunk to be surprise, cheered and downed another shot of vodka while Nue and the other younger girl stared at her in awe. Ichirin barely even

"You guys alright?" She shouted over to the drunk tanuki and the other two peers. The blue haired girl seemed to be sobbing in fright at this point, at which Ichirin strided over and gave her a quick hug, comforting the distraught girl. A choke of mild surprise came from the other girl as Nue, fed up with Mamizou, took the vodka and stowed it in her pocket before struggling to drag her drunk friend out of the clearing and back to the campus, picking up two of the weapons left near the entrance and sighing as Mamizou complained drunkenly about the economy before getting to her feet and nearly toppling over. The chimera paused before going on a short rant, reprimanding your friend.

"Mami, give it up. You're as drunk as fuck. You could have seriously hurt someone - just look at the poor girl, she's in a mess of tears, and she's my friend - what the hell, seriously? First thing you do when you meet her is force her to run into the forest like a lunatic? Boy, Kyouko's going to give you hell for this."

"You must amend your drunkeness..." Mamizou hiccuped once.

The tanuki finally shut up as Nue sighed with exasperation and put one arm around Mamizou, and they half-stumbled, half-walked out of the clearing together. Seiga fell in line behind Nue as Ichirin led the younger student by the hand back onto school grounds, holding her weapon for her as the other student sniffled a little.

"What's your name?'' Ichirin asked the smaller girl. She unzipped one of the pockets on her jacket and handed a clean hankerchife to the girl, who wiped her face, red from crying, of the tears.

"Kogasa Tatara... T-thank you for... saving me..."

"Are you hurt?"

"A little." Kogasa lifted up her bangs to reveal a bloody cut across her scalp. "I grazed a laser when I was running..." She started sniffling again, on the verge of another breakdown. "I don't mean to cause you any trouble..."

Ichirin took the hankerchife and wiped some of the blood away from her forehead, catching it before it dripped down across her face. "It's okay, we'll go to the nurse and get that cut cleaned, alright? Just hang in there, you're a strong girl."

Kogasa seemed on the verge of crying, but finally managed a faint smile and a small nod. "Okay!"

As the two girls, one comforting the other, strided back to the campus, Seiga lingered back as a thought sprung into her mind. _That girl is either the kindest or the scariest person I have ever met in my life..._

* * *

_TL;DR, Ichirin is simultaneously a kind-hearted friend and a war machine. Please do not provoke._

_-Burcaresti_


	9. Night Sakura of Dead Spirits

"So, this is miss Komeiji?"

"Yep. Koishi's the name."

Miko nodded at the silver-haired girl beside her, absentmindedly staring out a window as she ate. Dinner at school was a quite social gathering, but it seemed that the other students had left the first-years to accumulate at their own table and bond over there. Seiga had seemingly triggered Yoshika into silence after having a heated debate about poetry, and now the huntress refused to talk to her. A little bored, she had prompted Miko about her new friend.

Koishi herself was hardly paying attention as she finished off the last piece of grilled cheese. She had finished her tomato soup far earlier and gave the pickles to Yoshika, who looked far more eager to have at them then herself. While fond of grilled cheese and tomato soup, Koishi was never very fond of pickles.

"So, Koishi... how did you get into the school? You know, the whole 'act-of-valor' thing?"

"Oh? I had to find a stolen mask." Koishi giggled at Seiga's confused expression. "It was stolen from a museum, and I managed to crack the entire mystery _and _beat the boss behind it - turns out it was just another one of the Rabbit Horn League's nerfarious ploys. As expected. Even for an organization moved towards liberation towards discrimination to youkai such as myself, I find their methods distasteful - both me and my sister do."

"What's your weapon?" Seiga felt oddly inclined to ask the weirdest questions. It was like the thoughts weren't even her own!

"This thing!" Koishi reached into her jacket and took out a wand, twirling it expertly. The wand was shaped like a rose, ableit being made out of metal and having blue lines running up the side of the stem. "It helps me channel the voidey thing within me!"

"The hell..."

"You know, voidey powers and stuff!"

"Yes, but..." Seiga looked at the satori skeptically. "What do you mean by 'The Voidey Thing'?"

"Ahem." Miko cut into the conversation with dignity. "Koishi's power is controlling subconscious - it's not reading minds. Now, Seiga, imagine being able to subconsciously influence people to ignore you, or pay attention to you, or say one thing or another. That's the true extent of her power."

"Yes!" Koishi squealed a little. "It's the voidey thing - being invisible by being ignored, veiled by manipulation, a mastermind behind the nerfarious plot!"

"I see..." Seiga murmured. "So, about making people inclined to say one thing or another... _holy shit._" She pointed an accusing finger at the satori. "You rigged this entire conversation! You MADE me ask questions about your act of valor!"

"Oh, wow, I didn't think you would catch on." Koishi's eyes bugged out comically. "Anyways, I have to go meet up with sis real quick, so - HEY, SEIGA, there's a FUNERAL PROCESSION going by out the window!"

"What?" Seiga turned her back on Koishi as she rushed to the window, almost knocking over Miko in the process. Unsurprisingly, there was no funeral procession.

"That little..." Seiga turned around and scanned the crowd. Koishi was nowhere to be seen. She huffed and stomped back to her own table.

"I didn't know you had a thing for funerals. Maybe we should have gone to more when we were younger." Miko joked.

"Forget it." Seiga grumbled. That satori was going to cause a lot of trouble...

* * *

Out like a light.

Seiga was already curled up in her own little corner of the ballroom, exhausted and tired, peacefully sleeping as she curled up on an improptu bed of a sleeping bag, a pillow, and a blue colored blanket. Nearby, Yoshika was holding a candle high for her to see her book, bound texts already surrounding her own setup. Ichirin was also out cold as well, sprawled out on the floor, in a similar situation as Murasa was lying down near her and writing in a very thick journal, feverishly recording something in the large textbook. Everyone, Tojiko, Futo, all the others of Byakuren's group were out cold, it seemed, and those who were not were barely paying attention to their surroundings. The moon sparkled through windows in the walls, shedding silver beams of light across the polished wood floors of the ballroom.

Miko sighed and rubbed her temples. It was time to get this over with - to overcome her past problems.

She glanced at the gradient girl next to her who was muttering sutras to herself as she stared at the surface of an old and ornate scroll. With a slight prod, Miko could see that her mind was feverish with worry, much like herself. Maybe a small talk would settle their nerves.

"Byakuren?" She quietly said, keeping her voice low to not attract attention.

The nun barely glanced up from her scroll, her gold colored eyes briefly meeting Miko's silver ones before shifting to the paper again. "What is it?"

"Are you worried... about tommorow?"

With a sigh, the nun rolled up the scroll and set it down, turning to face Miko. An expression Miko did not associate with someone like Byakuren was overtaking her face - a face white with fear.

"Who isn't?"

"Point taken. But... nobody else is. They act like they aren't even mildly disturbed by it."

Byakuren put her chin on her hand, huffing a little as she absentmindedly played with a lock of her own hair. "Perhaps it's that. Honestly, I think we're all just inclined to be slightly scared when we are presented with a mission to plunge in a forest crammed with beasts who will stop for nothing to kill you at first sight." She chuckled a little at her own words. "Still, it is something we have to do to - we have to complete the harrowing task for the ultimate reward. It's a law of life."

"I've forgotten how strangely cynical and yet how wise you are after all these years."

"Wisdom is my first impression and cynicism is my core. I've forgotten how seemingly all-

The two girls sat for a moment, simply sharing a silent moment - the only thing interrupting it was the rustling of the wind, the turn of a page, and the almost unnoticable scratching noise of pen against paper.

"Miko, have you ever heard of the name Myouren Hijiri?"

A vague echo of a memory. Miko barely recalled Byakuren mentioning the name when they were younger, fierce rivals, competitors - all the way back at Avarice Academy. It seemed like forever since she had been there - even though it was only a few months. The time passed by so quickly, and yet so slowly. She'd gone from an ordinary students to a representative of the most famous academy for girls in the entire _world. _But what had happened to Byakuren, after she vanished all those years ago, without a trace?

_"I have to be strong and win for Myouren-chan, Miko!"_

"He is your brother, isn't he?" Miko asked quietly. Byakuren glanced down with a look of sorrow, tracing an X on the ground absentmindedly with one finger.

"He was."

Miko didn't need further elaboration. She put one hand on Byakuren's shoulder, prompting her to look up, a look of surprise on her face.

"Byakuren, it's okay if you're not strong. Sometimes, those moments of weakness will show us how to become stronger, right?"

A look of slow comprehension dawned on Byakuren, a look of satisfaction within wisdom, a look of understanding. Slowly, the other girl nodded and swallowed. She glanced over to Murasa, who had managed to shut the journal and fall asleep without either of them noticing.

Byakuren murmured something under her breath before clearing her throat and turning back to Miko. "Murasa is, by far, the best example of that, if you ask me. _Her_ story is a grisly and sad one - much worse than the death of one family member and the journey that followed, like mine."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Miko told the other girl. She was anticipating a story that might. "I'll hear it in my own time."

"I am afraid of death - something that shames me." Byakuren admitted, her face flushed red as she looked at the full moon peeking through the window, white light illuminating her. "I have frequent nightmares about me and my brother. But I can't even imagine what it's like for her to dread sleeping every night - sometimes she wakes up screaming, or crying."

"That's horrible." Miko was already jittery at the prospect. She gaped a little at the sleeping black-haired girl, now aware of her horrifying predictament. "Is there anything you can do about it?"

The gradient nun contemplated that question for a second, reaching for the wooden scroll once again, the black ink that the letters had been inscribed with glimmering in the silver light.

"What would you do for a person you love being in distress? I have to keep her close, like how you keep your own siblings close. She's not just a mutual friend, not even a best friend - she's basically my sister, like Nazrin, Ichirin, and Shou. And they have their own stories to tell - they have lived their own lives, whether they be shrouded in mysteries even I myself cannot pry open, a happy life spent surrounded by friends and pursuing dreams, or a sad one filled with deception and rejection. It doesn't matter, they're still my sisters. I have to look out for them."

"Right." Miko looked at the sleeping forms of her friends. If she didn't look out for them...

"That's what you're worried about. The test- it takes place in the woods, and we'll be separated."

"Exactly. Are you afraid, Miko Toyosatomimi?"

Miko paused. Her sisters - what would she do, if one of them died?

"I am too. It kind of feels like we're the only two who are worried about this... And that's why we can't back down - we have to lead them and support them, and face our fears, right? Not just us, our whole team. I have to support Tojiko and Futo and Seiga and Yoshika... but they all have to support everyone else in return, right?"

"I used to think of people as being pawns on a chess board - expendable, easily replaced, and only there to help forward my goal." Byakuren managed to admit in a small voice, her face redder than ever. "But after all this time, I've come to know something. They're hardly chess pieces - they are each their own person, precious to the game in their own way, and if a piece is lost, we all are doomed. Everyone depends on each other, and it is nigh impossible to do something alone. We need to work together - not as lone huntresses, using others as stepping stones to forward our goal, but as a team."

The candle in the corner that Yoshika was using to read was getting fainter. Miko could hardly see Byakuren in the darkness - the full moon had plunged behind clouds, unfound.

"Goodnight, Miko. Also - please don't tell anyone about this conversation."

"My lips are sealed. Goodnight."

Byakuren curled up in her blankets, smiling at the saint before closing her eyes. Her breathing relaxed into a slight snore.

Miko herself stared at the nun for a moment, wondering how she managed to rest so quickly. She adjusted her earmuffs, the tuffs of hair that stuck up like rabbit's ears slumping, finally relaxing onto her makeshift bed herself. The moonlight still peeked out from behind the clouds, even as she slept...

* * *

"Sometimes, I hate my job."

Tewi Inaba groaned a little before taking another long drink of her margarita. The alcohol numbed her irritation and let a brief wave of happiness wash over her, before her irritability returned. Goddamnit, why couldn't she be a lightweight when she came to drinking? God knows how many of these lemony drinks she would go through tonight.

With a slump, she placed the glass back down on the table. She stared at the map in front of her, a large, old thing detailing Gensokyo. Her helpful notes marked which cities had dumb cops, which ones she had gotten her ass handed to her by a normal civilian who turned out to be a magical warrior, and which ones she had sucessfully screwed over with nary a resistance.

One of the many rabbits came up behind her, a box of sucessfully pillaged danmaku in her arms. Tewi barely glanced at it before beckoning over and handing her a small note.

"Take this to Udongein for me. I think she'll like to hear what I have to say about the tournament."

The rabbit nodded, scampering off to another part of the large building. In the general direction of Udogein's office, at least.

"Avarice, we're not done with you just yet."


End file.
